Storm of Dogs (book)/Prologue

Contents

Chapter Summary

Lucky's Point of View

Lucky wakes up with a start and springs to his paws. Fear prickles along his back as he dizzily feels the urge to run, but with nowhere to go as he is trapped in the cage of the Trap House. The terrified yips and whimpers of other dogs rises in the air. He senses something bad is happening and warns Sweet, who also feels it and agrees in a panicked and sharp yelp. Lucky throws his forepaws against the wire door, but without it budging. Sweet whines that the Big Growl could not happen again after it already happened. Lucky is reassured by her words, because it meant they would escape like they always had since it was only a bad memory. The dogs in the Trap House begin to howl in panic, fear-scent increasing as the ground trembles. As Lucky agrees with Sweet, she whimpers that something feels different this time.

Lucky agrees, and is horrified to find the ground to shake violently and he loses his footing. Dogs in cages around him are crushed by the clear-stone. Sweet barks for his help, scratching against the door to her cage. He scrabbles to get out, assuring her that he'd come. He remembers that Sweet's cage had broken when it was knocked to the ground, but this time it did not. The memory was different this time. His cage lurches forward and lands upside down. Pain sears along his back, making him howl.

He tells himself he wasn't supposed to feel pain in a dream, asking himself what was really happening. He clambers to his paws with a wince preparing to escape. He shuffles forward and extends a forepaw to prepare to climb out. His cage does not spring open. He spots Sweet kicking her forepaws against her cage. She howls that it wasn't supposed to happen this way, that they'd escape the Trap House and get away. He barks back that they'd survive and throws himself against the door of his cage to feel it creak beneath his paws. He thanks the Sky-Dogs in a silent utter. But the ceiling begins to rumble and he shrinks back in confusion. The walls shake dangerously, and the air is pierced with the screech of tearing hardstone. Lucky's whole world collapses.